“We have the same issues,” Cunningham says. “I’m not suggesting necessarily an injection site, I’m suggesting that we are given resources.”

She also points out that high profile areas like Vancouver’s downtown eastside and Victoria have received funding for affordable housing, while Vernon is considered too small to qualify for funding through Canada’s homelessness partnering strategy.

“I think there has to be a fairer way to distribute the resources,” Cunningham says, noting a per capita funding model might be the way to go.

She praises local agencies for the work they’ve done, but says service providers are strapped for resources.

“When you talk to the Upper Room Mission and other agencies dealing with homelessness, what’s alarming to me is... people with families and young children accessing the Mission to a significant level,” Cunningham says.

Annette Sharkey, with the Social Planning Council of the North Okanagan, says the social crisis is not unique to Vernon. Part of the trend, she says, could be related to people returning to home due to poor economic conditions in Alberta.

“There is still that desperate need right across the province, in particular for those who are hard to house, ” Sharkey says of individuals with mental health and substance abuse issues.

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OPINION Editor, This is a busy time of year, but I find it’s also a time of reflection, particularly as January marks the end of my two-year term as Chair and my 10 years serving on the Board of Interior